If you are a biblical studies, theology, philosophy, apologetics major or simply someone who enjoys discussions that dovetail into those areas, then inevitably you are bound to talk to someone who disagrees with you on some theological issue. Whether it is an issue of Calvinism and Arminianism, different theories of Creation and the theory of evolution, the end times, women in the church and so forth, there is always bound to be disagreement somewhere in the conversation.

Despite, what I consider to be, the prevalent view that we should overlook theological differences and primarily focus on what we hold in common, I think that believers can grow in healthy ways by knowing how to navigate areas of theological disagreement.

1. Be sure you actually understand what was said.

You can't genuinely disagree with what you don't understand. Sometimes we are tempted to immediately express our disapproval or disagreement of a view that we actually did not really understand. There are two helpful ways to overcome this. First, ask clarifying questions. By asking questions to clarify what you heard, you lower the possibility of misunderstanding and perhaps misrepresenting the other person's views and you end up making the other person feel respected. When they sense your trying to understand their view in a genuine way, they are more likely to be more civil.

Lastly, repeat back to ensure that you heard correctly. When you do that, you open yourself up for possible correction and to see if your friend is being consistent in what he or she is saying.

2. Uphold virtues and avoid certain vices.

It is crucial to be charitable towards views that are plausible to an extent even if they are controversial. Taking care to actually understanding a view can go a long way in settling disputes. Recognizing that there might be reasonable criticisms of someone's position is also a helpful guard against the following vice: overconfidence. Someone is overconfident typically when they have exaggerated the support for the belief in question and have difficulty imagining that there could be a legitimate objection to their view.

Another vice to avoid is being dismissive. Sometimes one can be too easily dismissive of a view simply because he was never exposed to it beforehand.

3. Here are some concluding remarks.

As fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, we want to be in the business of building bridges with each other, not building walls. Yes Truth can be divisive. But if there must be division, let it be because of the Truth, not because we failed to communicate it winsomely, wisely, and lovingly. In conclusion, admit when you don't know something and refrain from making a view look completely absurd, ugly and unbelievable. It is more difficult to engage what someone actually believes than a caricature of his or her position. Show the love of Christ, be persuasive and use good reasoning.